Joe Emberley speaks with Evelyn Osborne about accordions and accordion players. Accordions and fiddles have a similar sound and play many of the same tunes, although Joe plays songs on the accordion that he does not play on the fiddle and...

Melvin Combden plays "Hand me Down me Calico" on the accordion and Evelyn Osborne joins in on the fiddle at the table in Melvin's kitchen. Evelyn then plays a variant version, commenting that she knows the tune by a different name.

People tend to play differently. Melvin Combden plays by ear, trying to recreate the tune he hears. Evelyn Osborne believes that after learning a song, a person often changes it. Melvin agrees, sometimes he changes notes to make the tune sound...

Evelyn Osborne reads out Melvin Combden's playlist, including: "Road to the Isles," "Larry O'Grath," "Harriett's Two Step?," "Fisherman's Favorite," "Cliffs of Bacalou," "The Old Man and the Old Woman," "Off She Goes," "an old time jig,"...

Melvin Combden gets his accordion as Evelyn Osborne reads out his playlist, including "Row Up in Dory," "Stack of Barley," and "Clean Old Man" (if you can't get a woman, get a clean old man). Melvin plays part of the latter, which is a line from...

Melvin Combden plays "Mussels in the Corner" in two parts on his accordion. There is also a third part played on Fogo Island, which Melvin plays briefly. Evelyn Osborne knows the same two-part version, which she plays briefly on her fiddle.

Evelyn Osborne asks Melvin Combden to play "Ruby's Garden." Melvin cannot remember the tune so he plays "Step it out Molly" to jog his memory. Remembering "Ruby's Garden," he plays the two songs together. Then Evelyn plays her version of "Ruby's...

Evelyn Osborne asks Melvin Combden what other instruments would accompany the accordion. Usually the guitar. Sometimes they would play the "silly stick" (also known as an "ugly stick"), a stick with a boot on the bottom, beer caps and a can on the...

Melvin Combden speaks of his second cousin Harry Budgel, who was a good accordion player and step dancer. Discussion of square dancing and step dancing; he has never seen "stepping on the plate" but heard of it when he was growing up. Apparently...